


Pact

by thedrunkenwerewolf



Series: Heirverse: Phase 0 (Chessboards) [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Despair, Gen, Heirverse: Phase 0, Horror, Kid Fic, Origin Story, Power Dynamics, Power Play, Suicidal Thoughts, Violence, Voice, off-screen violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-12 20:57:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedrunkenwerewolf/pseuds/thedrunkenwerewolf
Summary: Aizen, trying to survive in the Rukongai, makes a deal that alters the course of his life forever. Aizen/Voice origin story. Foreshadowing for the whole damn series.





	Pact

**Author's Note:**

> TheFoxPack A/N: We own nothing, Wolfie owns Heirverse, Cherry, Tsuku and the Voice.  
> Heirverse is turning ten years old! To celebrate TheDrunkenWerewolf let us play in her world for a while and if you haven't read it yet now is a great time to start. We've had a lot of fun writing this and we hope that you enjoy our take on the verse half as much as we've enjoyed writing it.
> 
> A massive thanks to Wolfie for letting us do this and to transbyakuya (byakuyakuchiki on A03) for crossposting. A shout out to our awesome packmates for putting up with our obsession. They are very talented and you should R&R them (a full list can be found on Timewaster123456789's profile or on TheFoxPack's profile). Lastly I would like to thank the packmates who wrote for this celebration: Timewaster123456789, SesshomaruFreak, Salazar Marvolo, Spunky0ne and HitsugayaKuchiki-HK.
> 
> TDW a/n: I can't believe my series is 10 years old! the pack are all gems and i do not deserve them :) I feel appropriately old and accomplished and loved. But I'll save the emotional author note when we get to the end. I have a surprise for the pack at the end.
> 
> Business: I own nothing. Except for this fic series. Tsuku, Cherry, and the Monster/Voice. Also my everlasting gratitude to the pack: they are too good to me, I deserve none of this from these lot but they insisted :D Big shouts and all my thanks to ByakuyaKuchiki over on ao3 for crossproxying for me - and letting us leech off of his ao3 cred :)
> 
> Notes: Original character. Young!Aizen. Foreshadowing. Bad bad decisions made at which the author laughs evilly for reasons. So much fridge horror, if you know the series. Mentions of suicidal thoughts and violence. Somewhat inspired by the webcomic Avas's Demon.
> 
> Place in the Timeline: The very beginning :)
> 
> oh and before I forget: I am the ProxyMaster, and I approve these stories :) (even though I haven't seen any of them besides my own contributions)
> 
> if you like what you read, please review each chapter individually. My Co's old and new deserve good feedback. Please and thankyou :)
> 
> Alright, that's enough from me. In the words of Freddie Mercury, "the show must go on!"

_"In all those stories about people who sold their souls to the devil, I never quite understood why the devil was the bad guy, or why it was okay to screw him out of his soul. They got what they wanted: fame, money, love, whatever—though usually it turned out not to be what they really wanted or expected. Was that the devil's fault? I never thought so. Like John Wayne said, "Life's tough. It's even tougher when you're stupid."_  
― James Anderson, The Never-Open Desert Diner ]

 _"They made a deal and they liked the deal, until they had to pay the price."_  
― Brent Weeks, The Black Prism

* * *

 

Sousuke's breath shook as he walked, unsteady on his feet after a fourth day without food. His stomach growled and he clutched it, trying to ignore the pains that only food would cure. He'd been trying for days to get some food. Begging, borrowing, stealing. But it wasn't enough. What little food he could scavenge wasn't even enough for a full meal. And you had to be quick and clever just to get your hands on those scraps. But malnutrition – no, starvation – had made him slow and stupid, and he'd got caught and backhanded more often than not now.

Out of desperation, he'd foolishly tried to steal a pot of stew someone had left out – only to find it belonged to a boy twice his size. He'd tried to run but, he wasn't quick enough. So the boy and his two friends proceeded to beat the living shit out of him. Sousuke just closed his eyes, braved the pain and waited for it to be over.

He only limped away when he was sure the bullies were gone.

He leant against the wall, still sore from the beating, and tried to breathe through the agony crippling his body. He cursed under his breath. "Shit." and pain shot right through him. Followed by a bout of dizziness that sent him down onto the floor.

No, no he couldn't collapse now. He had to get food and water for Yuki. If he didn't, then she'd die too... and he refused to lose his one ally in this world to something as stupid as starvation. Besides, she was sick, and she needed food if she had any chance at all of getting better.

He was just gathering himself together again when he heard the deafening roar from somewhere close by.

"A hollow?" he murmured to himself. Dragging his battered, aching body to its feet. Wishing for all the world that he were stronger.

The line, 'Oh, my kingdom for a horse!' sprang to mind. He didn't know where from. Maybe from a book he read once.

If he were stronger – better – he'd be able to defend himself. Defend his friend, Yuki. Carve out a better life for them both. But as he was now, he couldn't. Because he was useless. Weak. Pathetic. Just another rat in the gutter. He couldn't do anything.

And he loathed it. Loathed himself for being like this.

How many times had he seen his reflection – the skinny boy with the brown hair and dark brown eyes – and thought, 'I can't stand you'?

He saw the shinigami run past him, giving him as much notice as a speck of dirt under their sandals. He listened numbly to the panic of the civilians, wondering what the point of it all was.

He couldn't find one. He couldn't find a point, and he leant heavily against the wall again.

If it comes this way, just let it kill me, he thought. The thunder in the distance punctuating his pessimism. Or better yet, let me die right here in the rain when it comes. It'll be quicker than starving to death.

There were shouts in the distance – or at least it felt like they were in the distance – and he closed his eyes. Come and get me you ugly bastard, he thought, free food right here.

And then he drifted into unconsciousness.

. . .

When he came to a few moments later, he knew the monster was close. He could hear its footsteps, feel it shake the ground with each step it took. What was it doing? Stomping through the district like some gigantic dinosaur? Sousuke would have laughed at that image if he had the energy. It would have been hysterical, insane laughter. But still.

He scrambled to his feet again, cursing himself for passing out, and waited for the beast to come.

He didn't have to wait very long. It came lumbering down the empty street, sniffing the air and licking its lips. Slavering over the fresh meat. It took the form of a large, grizzly bear, black as tar, with elongated teeth and razor sharp claws already covered in blood. And Sousuke knew it must have taken out and eaten the shinigami already. It stared at him for a moment, catching his scent. And Sousuke could see the white grizzly skull that was its head. It sniffed the air and opened its jaws. Drooling over him.

"I smell fresh meat," it growled. "Soft. Juicy. Tender meat."

Sousuke was sure this was supposed to terrify him. To make him panic. To make him run. But he felt nothing. Maybe it was because he was just too numb or too tired to care. Or maybe it was because he simply had nothing left to lose.

The beast approached him. Lumbering. Slow. But even Sousuke could see it was a ruse. The beast could move quite quickly, if it so desired.

"Just make it quick," he told it. It snorted, standing over him.

"You are not afraid, boy?" it asked.

"No." he answered. "Why should I be? People die here all the time."

"You should be," the hollow answered. "Unless you no longer value your life."

Now Sousuke found the energy to laugh. "Clearly I don't, else I'd be running for my life right now."

The monster looked thoughtful. It studied him carefully, as if weighing his heart. Examining him from every possible angle. Sousuke tried not to shiver under it's intense gaze. Looking right back into those yellow and black pools it called eyes.

Then it just seemed to look amused.

"You are most peculiar," the beast said. "Most of my prey run. Flee in terror."

"I'm not 'most people'" Sousuke answered. And the beast laughed. A sound that chilled him to his bones.

"What do you want?" Sousuke asked it. Him?

"What do I want?" it echoed. "I want to know why it is you do not run. Why you do not seem to fear me."

"I have no fear," Sousuke answered, defiant.

It laughed at him. "Everyone had a fear, lad," it told him. "Try though they might to hide it. I wonder what yours is."

Sousuke kept quiet, knowing better than to rise to the bait.

"What do you really want?" he asked the beast.

"Why, what I want is very simple, little boy," it answered, riling Sousuke by calling him 'little boy'. "I want blood. I want death."

"Of innocent people?"

"No, foolish boy," the beast snarled, "I want the blood of the soul reapers. The 'Gods of Death', as they call themselves."

The low growl the grizzly gave when he mentioned the shinigami went right through Sousuke's core. It was a sound full of hatred. Promising horror and death. And the stench of blood and human meat on the beast's breath only made the threat that much more terrifying. Because he knew the beast would make good on those threats and follow through with them.

Nonetheless, Sousuke swallowed thickly and asked the question. "Why?"

The beast grinned. "Why do you wish to throw your life away?" it asked. "Law of equivalent exchange, boy. If you want that information, you have to give information."

Sousuke watched the beast smirk – if skulls could even smirk – and answered it. "Fine."

It chuckled again. "You really are an interesting one," it said. And Sousuke watched as the great beast shrank down before him, slowly morphing into a man with strong features, raven hair slightly longer than his own, pale skin, and piercing red eyes. Wearing, of all things, a black shihakusho. Possibly to blend in with the enemy. Although the gaping circular hole directly over the space his heart should be, just visible where the clothes weren't covering him, was a direct giveaway to what he was.

"So tell me," the hollow began. "Why do you want to throw away your own life?"

Sousuke paused for a moment. Of course, he knew there was really nothing stopping the hollow from killing him after he'd gotten the information, but there was nothing he could do about that. If he died, then he died. That was that.

"Because what kind of life is this?" Sousuke told it – him - "Fighting for survival. For every scrap of food, every mouthful of water. Dying of starvation in a place nobody's supposed to go hungry. Being too tired and weak to even defend myself."

Sousuke took in a deep breath, trying to quell the anger rising inside him at the unfairness of it all. "Tell me what kind of life is that?"

The hollow just smiled at him knowingly. "You think it's unfair," he said.. it was a statement, not a question.

"Yes." Sousuke hissed. Angry at the system. At the world. "I do."

Sousuke watched him shift expressions ever so subtly to one of pity. "Ha... well, I've got news for ya kiddo," he said soberly. "Life isn't fair. The sooner you learn that, the easier it'll be. It doesn't matter what world you live in, life will find a way to grind you down and take away everything you hold dear. Everyone you care about."

Sousuke studied him curiously. "Is that what happened to you?"

"Yes," the hollow replied bitterly. "My whole family was killed. Buy your wretched soul reapers. The shnigami." he spat. "Because of them I lost the only people in the three worlds I was certain I loved.

"who did you lose?" Sousuke asked him. Watching his face move through a mixture of emotions. Grief. Sadness. Longing. Vicious hatred. "My wife. My son." the hollow said. Grief etched into his voice. "Maria. Carlos." The hollow gave a bitter little laugh, then. "They butchered my family. My pregnant wife and my four year old boy, and called it 'keeping the balance'."

"That's horrible," Sousuke said, not knowing what else to say. There was nothing else to say. Because it was. It was awful.

The hollow snapped. Not at Sousuke, but at the way things were. "This whole fucking world is horrible." he spat again, snarling even n human form.

Sousuke nodded. "The world is cruel."

"No," the hollow answered, "the shinigami are cruel. They kill us because of who we are. For no just reason."

Sousuke watched him snarl, felt the sting of his spiritual pressure, thick and dense, rise around him. He felt it dip again, too, shortly after, when the rage gave way to apathy and grief again.

"They kill us because they can. Because we're different." he said, and the quiet tone of his voice was far more terrifying than the snarling rage from before. "I hate them."

"Is that why you killed them?" Sousuke asked. "The shinigami back there?"

The hollow smirked. "Yes," he answered. Casually and simply. He talked about killing like he were talking about the weather. "It is. They deserved to die. All of them deserve to die."

Sousuke studied him. This terrifying creature who looked so outwardly... normal. For the lack of a better word. "You really despise them, don't you?"

"And you don't?" the hollow raised an eyebrow, curious.

Sousuke shrugged. "Well, they do treat us like scum," he admitted. "Well, the ones I know do. The ones that come from nobility... I guess I could say I hate them."

Sousuke watched the hollow's grin broaden considerably. Making him look almost psychotic. Almost.

"It seems then, you and I share a common enemy," he said. Grinning wolfishly at him.

Sousuke eyed him, immediately suspicious. "What of it?"

The hollow chuckled. "I'd like to propose a deal."

"A deal?"

"Yes," the hollow answered smoothly. "Something that would benefit both of us."

"How?"

"Well, you hate the shinigami... I hate the shingami..." the hollow said casually. "It makes sense we join forces."

Sousuke had to think about that for a moment. Did he really hate the shinigami?

No.

No, he just hated how this world worked. How unfair it was. And besides, something inside him said it was a bad idea to trust the hollow.

"No thanks," he answered, and turned to walk away. Forcing himself to walk normally despite the agony he was in from the beating. He still had his pride. And it was always a bad idea to show your weaknesses.

He only made it a few steps before the hollow spoke again. "Really? There's nothing you want? Nothing that'll make it worth considering?"

Sousuke stopped n his tracks, and looked back. "Not unless you can make me strong enough to claw my way out of this shithole, no."

He watched that wolfish smirk widen deviously again. "Oh." the hollow smiled. "Who says I can't?"

That made Sousuke think twice. "How?" he asked, wheeling round to face him. "How can you possibly do that?"

"Oh, I have my ways," the hollow told him, smirking like a devil. Perhaps he was a devil. Maybe even the devil. "I could lend you my power, transfer some of it over to you..."

Sousuke was astounded. "You can really do that?" he asked, taking a step closer. "Make me stronger?" Give me a way out of this hellhole?

The hollow smirked. "I can do anything."

Sousuke swallowed. He knew he should be suspicious, wary even, but he'd craved power for so long... it was hard to resist an offer like that. Too many years of being at the bottom of the food chain, he supposed.

"Will you do it?" he asked bravely. Stupidly. Ignoring the part of him saying to be suspicious and that this was a very bad idea and that he should go home right now. To run, not walk, away because this would only end in tears. Because the part of him that wanted power, needed it, craved it, hungered for it, shouted the loudest.

But the hollow just cackled at him. "Law of equivalent exchange, boy," he said. Smirking again. Sousuke was beginning to think it was his default expression. "I do nothing for free."

Sousuke didn't even hesitate. "What do you want?"

The hollow's smirk turned devilish, hungry even, and for just a moment Sousuke feared he'd be asked for his soul. "Revenge," he said instead.

Sousuke swallowed the lump in his throat that he suspected was terror. "Revenge?"

"Yes," the hollow purred. "Revenge. I want blood. As payment for my wife and son's deaths. I want the shinigami to suffer. And I want you to help me."

"And how do you want me to help you?"

The hollow chuckled. "Ah, now that, my dear boy, is simple. I want you to be my eyes and ears. I want you to bring them down from the inside. Decimate their forces. Turn them all against each other."

"Like a mole?"

"Yes, like a mole." the hollow smiled. "It should be easy to do. Even a child like you could do it. And with my power, well... you'd be unstoppable."

Sousuke was awed by the concept. Him. Unstoppable. They'd all have to kneel at his feet and call him God. They'd all live at his mercy and do his bidding...

"Unstoppable?" he echoed.

"Well... almost unstoppable."

Sousuke digested this. Power. Unstoppable. He wouldn't be a weakling anymore... it was a no-brainer, really.

But how would that even work?

"So," the hollow said. "Do we have a deal?"

Sousuke watched him carefully. Searching for any hints of falseness. There were none.

"And just how do we make this deal?" he asked.

The hollow smiled at him. "It's really very simple." he said. "When two souls each have a deep desire, they can form a pact to combine their powers to fulfll those desires." the hollow explained. "When both are fulfilled, the two souls separate permanently, and continue their lives as nature intended. So if you have a desire, I can fulfil it."

Sousuke nodded. "Power." he said. "That's my desire. I want power. I want to be strong." I'm sick of being weak. "Can you give me that?"

The hollow grinned. "I can give you all the power in the world." he said. "I can give you power to rival even the strongest shinigami. But in exchange... you must help me get my revenge" The hollow smiled again and held out his hand. "Deal?"

Sousuke thought about it for a moment. Bringing down the shinigami... was it even possible? Even a child could do it, the hollow had said. And Sousuke smiled. Yes, it would be easy... wouldn't it?

"Before we shake on it," Sousuke said, "Tell me your name. I like to know the names of people I make deals with." particularly if I'm giving up a good chunk of my time getting revenge for them.

The hollow smirked, red eyes full of life and fire, "Jacinto Alejandro," he answered. "What's yours?"

"Sousuke Aizen."

"Well, Sousuke," Jacinto said, grinning absolutely devilishly, still holding out his hand. "Do we have a pact?"

Sousuke took a deep breath and shook his pale hand, feeling the hollow's – Jacinto's – grip firm. Like a bear trap. There would be no running away now, even if he wanted to.

"Excellent!" Jacinto grinned. Somewhat maniacal. "I promise you won't regret this."

Not long after that, he started fading away. Disintegrating, almost. And Sousuke could only watch as Jacinto was seemingly erased from existence, until he was left just holding the empty air. He had to blink a few times just to make sure he wasn't seeing things - - or imagining them. But no. the hollow really was gone.

That's when he heard that laugh. Inside his head.

 _Looking for me?_  Jacinto asked, very much amused by his confusion.

Sousuke's eyes widened. "You're... inside my head?"

Jacinto laughed again.  _Well, I did say the pact would combine our powers... he said. Tell me, do you feel stronger?_

Sousuke took a moment to see if he felt any different. Clenching and unclenching his fist and examining it. Feeling a hell of a lot more spiritual energy flowing through him than before. "Now that you mention it... I do feel different. Stronger."

He felt Jacinto nod, which was strange in itself.  _Good. It worked, then._

"What do you mean, 'it worked, then'?" Sousuke asked, annoyed. "You mean you weren't even sure it would work?!"

 _There's always a certain risk involved with these things,_  Jacinto admitted, begrudgingly.  _Not that it matters. It worked, didn't it? You have power. Quit complaining. I gave you what you wanted._

Sousuke wasn't entirely convinced. "And you're sure now?"

 _Try it for yourself since you clearly distrust me,_  Jacinto said, huffing in annoyance.  _Try and summon some spiritual energy._

Sousuke looked at his hand again, and focused. Concentrating. Sure enough, a glowing ball of blue energy began forming.

"Whoa, it's true... I do have power."

 _See?_  Jacinto sassed.  _Now do you believe it?_

"Yes," Sousuke said. "I believe it."

 _Good._  Jacinto said, and Sousuke could feel his impatience.  _Now, use that power, and do exactly as I say._

"And what happens if I don't?" Sousuke asked him. "What happens if I can't manage to get your revenge for you and the pact fails?"

 _Oh,_  the hollow said, and Sousuke could feel it grin, feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as it spoke.  _Wouldn't you like to know?_

And then it laughed, amused at its own joke. That same bonechilling laugh, dark and hellish, echoing inside his skull long after the creature had stopped cackling.


End file.
